Towing is the process of pulling or drawing behind a chain, line, bar or some other form of coupling and can be performed by virtually any type or form of vehicle. Many vehicles come with some sort of tow or trailer hitch (e.g., ball, receiver, or the like) bolted or secured to the chassis at the rear of the vehicle that is adapted to couple with a corresponding component of a trailer or other device to allow the same to be pulled by the vehicle.
To pull larger loads, vehicles such as pickup trucks and tractors are often equipped with gooseneck and/or fifth wheel hitch assemblies or couplings that are anchored through the bed of the truck or tractor via corresponding receivers. A gooseneck hitch assembly includes a hitch ball that is secured via any appropriate frame through corresponding receivers to the vehicle bed. The hitch ball is adapted to be received by a corresponding opening of a gooseneck trailer. A fifth-wheel hitch assembly is essentially a large, flat plate that has a shape similar to a horseshoe and is adapted to couple to a trailer via a downward-facing pin on the trailer. A metal frame below the plate attaches to the chassis of the vehicle for strength.
The frames of the gooseneck and fifth-wheel hitch assemblies include fasteners or the like that are inserted into receivers disposed through the vehicle bed and appropriately secured to the vehicle chassis. In the event that a particular gooseneck or fifth-wheel hitch assembly needs to be removed from the bed or is otherwise not needed, the fasteners are loosened and the hitch assembly is removed from the bed. Plastic caps or plugs are then press-fit into or “popped in” to the receiver openings in an attempt to cover and/or protect the openings.